Gauge block



V. VICTOR GAUGE BLOCK Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 14, 1944 V. VICTOR GAUGE BLOCK Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 14, 1944 INVENTOR K210i VIZ/0] M AX Jan. 2, 1951 v, v c o 2,536,401

GAUGE BLOCK Filed Sept. 14, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. 72th) iii'iar AM/h Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAUGE BLOCK v Victor Victor, Hempstead, N. Y. Application September 14, 1944, Serial No. 553,979

3 Claims. I

This invention relates to. improved gauging means, and particularly to an improved system of dimension-establishing gauge bl cks.

It is an object of the invention to. provide a auge comprising a single multiple step. unit or a combination of such unit with one or possibly two cooperating units for increasing the total measurement range by means of which certain routine functions of mechanical inspection practice which presently call for the use of costly one-dimensional gauge, block systems, master parts, or special dimension-establishing units, may be performed with hitherto unattainable peed and e ficienoy- It is an obiect of th invention to provide a auge block or gauge block system which presents more dimension-establishing surface per block and a greater range per number of blocks m o ed. han ma e b a ned by n emp y gauge block systems.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved and suitably accurate gauging blocks which are so relatively inexpensive to manufacture and use, as compared to presently utilized systems suuch as Johansson blocks as to make it economical for even a relatively small machine shop to have a number of sets available not only for its inspection personnel, but to its producing machinists or machine tool operators.

It is another object of the invention to provide a gauge block having a plurality of steps or like dimension-establishing surfaces, said steps being of comparatively large area and accurately disposed at an uninterrupted progression of equal increments above a datum plane, in such physical and mathematical arrangement that the exact height of each step is self evident, and the timeconsuming processes of identification, selection, and assembly, now needed to establish equivalent checking levels with ordinary gauge blocks, are consequently eliminated.

It. is a further object of the invention to provide a stepped gauge. block which, alone or in combination with other block or blocks, provides an uninterrupted series of dimension-establishing planes at a repetitive increment no greater than the dial-face range of a conventional d alindicator of precision measurement, over an unbroken range limited only by the maximum height of all the blocks together.

The invention is applicable to a very large proportion of the test and inspection procedures employed in manufacturing establishments; and is of particular importance when employed as means for setting comparators or like measuremo t de ices whose se -cont i ed apac ty for direct precision measurement limited o He p ia ace rang of the i dica or p n h oomparator. Such dial face range, for measurement in t ousand hs of an in h, r rely exceed .10Q" and usually is not more than .030". Yet employing the present invention, such acomparator may be set to the nearest thousandth of an inch in the total adjustment range or the comparator itself.

Because of this fact-plus the new speed and ease of checkingesurtace presentation provided b the pr sent nven onasuoh inexpe i e indicator-bearing comparator as the common surface gauge for example, may be employed, with the invention, to measure any nurnher of, iffer t a ions on; an, a i le s accurately and. ap y as uch dim n ions may now be measured with relatively expensive and skill (1Q! manding devices such as vernier height gauges. Al o, with t e pr sent nvention, a vemior he ht aug may per m its p ons. without being removed from the surface plate withoutthe necessity of the ope ators u n the ve n er attachment of the height gauge.

Thus, the present invention increases the efii: noy of, he inspection perso nel bye imina ine. a ke. the usual eye strain and mu h f. the time and iabi y rror, in e n in he use of verniers.

The hercindescribed system of gaug blocks, which may contain no increment of measurement smaller, for example, than .025", nevertheless pr v d s a accura e m n o unin e rupted pr ision m a m nt to the n arest nethousandth of an inch.

Th s is. bec us he. sua i d cator, pre ent upon the comparator or other conventional in, umo t o be u ed w th he nvention. itself ro d s ll n er m ni s. of mea urement. Brac tically all comparator ndicators. a e a just l to read zero at any level at which the test of the comparator i set H noo, -ii the test-mint i 1 1 a co parator Jo s on a part-slirrace uppo d to he s y. 506 inch. above a give and, he indicator set. at z o. t en -whennthe.

same t st-p i t s :r i rr d o. the 500 s p ofke version of the pr nt aug the indicato'r dijal will read minus .006 if the part-dimension was rec o exactl such. d v rgence from minus 0 6 as thepart ay e in error,

h new me n hus provided by the Present nven i n, o check rapi l any d m nsion in th usandb o e a lar e ran e with only one to three size blocks, makes it a sort of universal level,

checking fixture, quite capable of replacing many elaborate special ones, now customarily devised at great cost for the multi-dimensional inspection of housings and similar parts.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent ,from the detailed description of the several embodiments thereof.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5 show various embodiments of the present invention, each embodiment affording a plurality of measurement planes disposed accurately at an uninterrupted progression of equal increments above a datum plane;

Fig. 2 contains diagrammatic plan views of the Fig. 1 type of gauge to illustrate differently incremented measurement planes;

Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive show base blocks by means of which the total range of measurement of the units of Figs. 1 to 5 may be increased; each of the bases of Figs. 6 through 9 presents a plurality of accurately established measurement planes upon which the respective units of Figs. 1 to 5 may be positioned;

Fig. 10 is an embodiment of another form of the invention;

Fig. 11 is an elevation, partly in section, along lines I |-l i, of the embodiment of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an elevation of another form of the invention in which the dimension-establishing planes are developed about a cylinder;

Fig. 13 is a perspective of an embodiment of the invention'in which the measurement planes are developed spirally in such manner that vertical clearance is provided for vertical approach types of indicators;

Fig. 14 is plan view of an element of the bodiment'of Fig. 13; and

Fig. 15 is a plan view representing a plurality of elements similar to Fig. 14 in stacked relationship. 1

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of Fig. 1 shows in enlarged scale a form of the invention providing a head or gauge in which are 40 dimension-establishing planes arranged in -.025" increments from a, level disposed .100" above the base, to a final plane which is 1.075" abovethe base.

-"In the construction shown, the gauge comprises eme a plurality ofplates, respectively designated 10,

H, [2 and I3, of hardened and ground tool steel or equivalent, and mutually secured by set'screws t4, the ends of which may engage tapped holes in plate [3, or may pass through plate l3 to be secured by nuts, as desired. I

Each plate is of right triangular configuration. The' botto'm of each is ground and lapped, and is squared with the side walls which are in parallel'relationship throughout. The abutting side walls'of the respective plates may be rough. finished'and, if desired, given a thin adhesive film to supplement the set screws M in holding the plates firmly relatively to each other during usage. v

-' The hypotenuse of each of the plates is 'subdivided into a plurality of planes, each parallel is .150", and the top of the first step of plate I3 is .175" above the base. This relationship obtains throughout the structure, and it will therefore be apparent that the topmost step of plate 13 is 1.075" above the base.

In the Fig. 1 embodiment it is possible for the user to select an accurately positioned measurement plane at any .025" increment from a minimum dimension of .100 to a maximum of 1.075". By the use of supplemental bases, as later described, this uninterrupted arithmetical progression of measurementplanes afforded by the present head may be extended over a multiplied measurement range.

Fig. 2 represents plan views of embodiments of Fig. 1 in which are provided other subdivisions of the increment between successive principalincrement steps. For example, Fig. 2B is a plan view of the dimension-establishing surfaces of the Fig. 1 embodiment. Fig. 2A shows a plan view of an embodiment employing two plates in which the increment between the corresponding steps of each of the plates is .050". Fig. 2C illustrates an organization of five plates so arranged that the height-increment subdivision, as

taken transversely of the long axis of the unit,

is .020". Fig. 21) illustrates the employment of ten plates so arranged that the transverse'incre ment subdivision is .010". The embodiments are thus characterized by .100" increments taken in a direction longitudinally of the unit, with the said .100" increments being subdivided as de-,

sired, in a transverse direction by'the several successive plates of a unit. In other words, the transverse increments subdivide each of the longitudinal or hypotenuse increments of the unit.

In order to physically differentiate the largerv v The distinctive usefulness of the longitudinal.

and transverse steps of the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 is apparent when it is considered that to include in a single triangular plate, all of the measurement planes therein provided, the plate would be of excessive length, extremely difficult to manufacture to proper tolerance, and would be extremely cumbersome and inept in use.

A feature of great practical importance in the Fig. l embodiment is that the maximum number of measurement planes to be ground and finished in any one unit is held to ten, and large numbers of the relatively thin plates employed may be processed as onein the forming and finishing operations. s

' The embodiment of Fig. 3 shows, on enlarged scale, a second form of measurement head in which the number of dimension-establishing planes has been limited to permit construction out of unindented plates, with consequent economies of manufacture. The minimum increment in the Fig. 3 embodiment is .100", in an uninterrupted progression from .500" to 1.400 above However, as indicated by the dot-dash lines, the respective plates may be configurated to provide a minimum increment of .050" over the same total range. course. destroy the point of economy just made This would, of t weasel iiactual nletes were sed- .Butitisirnp rta .te no e that. this, o in all ether embo iments he present in entio i i he ext rn ohfie etionlo any tota u i th r on rat e han the manne .of its attainm t, which supplie the iun na and t er f re mo v ta el ment o the invention.

As shown in the solid line representations of Fig. 3, said unit comprises a plurality of rectam eul r .blOCkS 323 131, 3.2. 3.3., .34 secured, as by th .setscrewe 35, that a l of the bl ck ve tw plan s in mmo n m a long udina bas olaheanda ve tica nd zn eh Thus, hebloeks may be set ehae nn em ntalbasee p a e r other tui pla e e th longitud nally, as showninFia o ve t eei r- Whehin h hor zohtel pos tion, th vertica mea u em nt plan s ahget om 4 o :801) above thebese; h ,unit is rotated threushefie sr e so hat ts on u al d m n ion i e tical es v "eih nt planes disposed 1.000 to 1.400" above the datum are presented.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, two plates re.- spectively 4i and 4'2, are of essentially right triangular configuration with the hypotenuse of each plate subdivided into a plurality ofnieasuremer t planesin a desired vertical increment. The plates are mutually secured by screws .63, or equivalent. it should be understood that more han tw plates ma be mpl yed in the mu ually reversed, continuous flight arrangement as-dee 0r t eleh thand height f the plates iner ased, to extend the .to al vertieaim asurement range, the low limitof which is determined, of eurse, by th location of t e .fi tstep o plat 4! a o e t e base. ,It is p ef r d. owever to hold the unit to compactisizeeand to increase the vertical measurement range by the employment of supplemental bases. Scale-markings adapted to t e s epeihcrement mplevedein the il u trat d instance .-.025-revea1 the height .of each step.

The Fig. SembOdimentcQmpriseS a pluralityof plates of equal thickness, .50, 54.. 5.2, 5 3, ,5il, rn u tually secured by the screws .55, ,to present a i irc f ordin fiv mea r m nt planes d sposed at qual a d co tinu us increments o p de ine el ations above the datu plane.

th e eth-e he plates. or the r equ v l or .e hfisu ation purpo es. be a o c n o d. h s u like .theFie- ,3 m odim n may likeise eemnl ved e th r inho t oht p s t n. as shown. or may be set on the vertical end plane so hat th e d suri e We to 54m. neiueiveimav represent asuremen p anes d sposed a additional established intervals above the datum. Similarly, as in Fig. 3, the plates may be further configurated asindicated in brokenline, so that when the unit is positioned vertically, the incremerits between the surfaces "54a to 15,911 will be subdiv ded t increase t measur m nt facilit n the un ts offig- 1 t B g. 5. the in reme ts of increase of the respective measurenientlplanes and the subdivisions thereof are not limited tothe decimal-inch system previously described. Ob.- viously, other measurement systems-i. e., metric or inflchfra ction may,be employed. It is. how.- ever, important that the m n mum inc ement presented by the head .must be .evenly divisible into its major increment, and that the latter be ctan exceedingly simple mathematical char actor-suchas linch, l centimeter, or inch-.- suitab1eior onvenieht employment as the repe it ve increm n o a ra e-multiply g bas The .tetelrane of a heaabowerer, :may actually 6 be one mi mum increment :lees tha n e n w ou nte r u, ro sion o th minimum i c e en hr, The. out the added rangeof the base.

he u e ta h s ho n va ious exp bodiments of Figs. 6 throughfim y he .6.

in conjunction with the primary neasur ein nif.

blocks or heads previously described, or each other. The function of said bas esis to con.- tinue the arithmetical progression of the rar ge of measurement provided in gauges .or heads previously described.

Referring now to Fig. 6, the base block Soprasents three equal increments .of height cco din to the plane on which the block rests. For ex.- ample, the block may define a parallelepiped in which the fronta-nd rear wall sunfaces, .as vie. ed in the figure, may vrepresenta thichnessof -1 .00",

therespective side wall surfaces, 2. widthpf 2.0,0'

and the upp d bas wa l ts he ght o 134. 0"-

The respective pairs of walls :are .p rallel zone with the other and square with their iespective contiguous walls. Thus, in the position the black 60 will present a datum plane 3 high above the base, and upon such datum plane-may be mounted any of the embodiments of Figs. 1 through 5. Similarly, the block may establish dimensions 1" or 2" above a .base and each instance its measurement plane will accom 0 date one of the previously described subdivi ed blocks. It will therefore betapparent that if he self-contained range of the head block alone 318 within one minimum increment of =1 inch ,or more, this base will add three inches tothen! terrupted progression of minimum incre ex ts supplied by the head.

The unit "60 may be machin from steel or from a preformed castin of one of the .closegrained and abrasion-resistant iron alloys such as Meehanite, with hard chrome plating desirable in the latter case. The structure may be lightened by the central aperture 6| ,and b y the plurality of grooves 52. The aperture and grooves also afford nonslip grips for handling the unit.

A base 10 suitable for multiplying the range-of weight without sacrifice of rigidity. fllhe unit it affords two measurement planes H, .12 ,unpn

eitherof which a head unit, or a preceding base unit such as that of Fig. 6, may be mounted.

A total gauge consisting, for example; of .a 3"-x 6" version of the Fig. '7 unit,,a 1", 2 n 3" version'of the Fig. 6 unit, and the head shown in Fig. 1, will be found to render available an unbroken progression of 400 instantly identifiable .025 dimension-establishing planes from .lllil ingh to 10.075 inches above the datum.

In Fig.8 there is shown a base unit 8!] which affords a greater head range multiplication the embodiments of vFigs. 6 01" 7. Ashereconstructed, the unit com-prisesaplurality-illus tratively three, of structures 81, .82, 8? mutually secured as by theset screws illustrated supplemerited, if desired, by keys -8.4,-,or equivalent. The respective structures 8|, 82, 83 are so arra god that they have a common base as represented-by the surface 85 when the unit is positioned -as i1.- lustrated, and another common base represented by the surface .86 when the unit is rotated throu h degree toli h izontal.

' The width of the unit need be controlled only 7 to the extent of providing adequately long placethat if, for example, the thickness of each of these-structures be 1", and their respective heights4", 5",, and 6", the unit shown will afford placement surfaces at an uninterrupted 'series of six one inch increments above the datum.

' The elements BI and 82 may be configurated to afford a hand-hole 81; it will be understood that the respective blocks may be hollowed, grooved, orotherwise configurated to reduce weight; and that their combined, or functional, configuration, may be attained, as in other embodiments of the invention, by other structural means.

' Fig. 9 discloses an even mor compact baseconfiguration than that of Fig. 8 for adding six times the major increment of an associated head to the range of said head. As shown, the unit 00 consists of but two ground and lapped toolsteel blocks 9| and 92 of equal thickness secured as by countersunk set screws, illustrated, in such manner that the blocks share a common base on two of their edges, and the entire unit has a third base represented by the surface 93 of the plate 92.

Plate SI, for example, may be .500" x 1.500"

2.500" in size, and plate 92, .500" x 2.000 x 3.000". Wherever these exact proportions, regardless of actual dimension, are held, it will be found that the'unit 90 presents head-placement surfaces at an uninterrupted progression six height increments each equal to the thickness of the plates. Hence, if that thickness be, as in the illustrative case, .500, the base, when employed with a head of .500 major increment such as those'shown in Figs. 4 and 5, would add three inches of uninterrupted measurement range to the range of such head. And this added range could, quite as in the case of Fig. '6, be further multiplied by a supplemental base like that of Fi '7.

-Fig. 10 illustrates a gauge I00 which has, inherently, a much larger self-contained range than theunits of Figs. 1 to 5, while afiording the subdivision into minimum increments which is characteristic of the latter units. In Fig. 10, a pair of relatively thin plates IOI, I02 are of triangular configuration and are subdivided, along their respective hypotenuses, into a series of parallel measurement planes which may repre- In the of plates, of any desired longitudinal and sub dividing transverse increments, may be used in 7 structures I03, I00, the respective hypotenuses of which provide for mounting a suitably graduated scale I05 and a guard plate I06. Set screws or equivalent. sot Fi it. may be utilized to concurately machined base I08, of tool steel or equivalent. If desired, and in order to insure that the vertical plane of the plates IOI, I02 is precisely vertical with respect to the base I 08, one or more adjustment screws I09 may be provided in the member I04.

The maximum elevation of a'plane of measurement of the unit I00 as illustrated, happens to be 4.500" above the plane of the base. But it will be obvious that self-contained range of this unit is a matter of choice, and also, of course, that it can be increased at will by supplemental bases.

Fig. 12 discloses anotherlong-range, minimum increment unit I20 in which the measurement planes are developed spirally about a cylinder. In the particular form of this development illustrated by the figure, the cylinder I2I has formed thereon a buttress thread I22 of desired pitch. The normally fiat upper plane of such buttress thread may be machined, as by suitable milling, to subdivide it into a plurality of steps which may, for example, be in .025'" increments. Forty such steps will then represent a vertical inch of rise. The first step may be located as desired above the base; illustratively the unit I20 has a self-formed base I23 which is .250" thick. Scalemarkings provide easy identification of the height of each step.

The unit I20 is relatively easily made by precision-boring the central hole I24 of the cylinder. to receive a milling fixture arbor. Mounted upon such an arbor, the cylinder with its buttress thread, is advanced .025" against a rotating cutter mounted on a parallel arbor, indexed 9 derees (9), then advanced another .025", etc., until the desired number of steps have been cut.

It will be understood that the true essential of this embodiment is the arrangement of the steps, with means to their immediate identification, and not the particular type of cylindrical structure on which the steps are developed. To illustrate; if a spirally mounting support-flange were attached to a central spindle, and also to the relatively thin wall of a surrounding hollow cylinder, then such cylinder need only be subjected to much the same step-milling process as that just described to have the remaining portion of the cylinder wall provide the desired steps.

The unit of Fig. 12 has a disadvantage in that the cylindrical path of the buttress thread affords no vertical clearance for the vertical approach type of indicator most commonly found on repetitive test comparators. This question of vertical approach can, of, course, be resolved by developing the spiral thread conically, instead of cylindrically. But the angle of the cone will necessarily limit the vertical range because the steps developed on a conical spiral of constant lead must necessarily decrease in area from the bottom to the top.

Another essentially spiral type of gauge block may be as illustrated in Fig. 13, in which I30 represents a unit in which the steps follow mutually rectangular paths in their procession from base to top. The unit I30 consists of a base block I3I, illustratively .300" thick and approximately 1.4 x 1.4 square.

Mounted upon the base I3I are a stack of horizontally disposed individual plates I32a, I322), etc., illustratively .025" thick. Only one such plate is shown in'Fig. 13, in the interests of clarity of drawina Each. plate, see Fig. 15, is so conflgurated that it will expose a .200 x .200" meas urement plane, formed by the plate immediately beneath it., It will be understood that the area of plate exposed is not critical, and that this would permit proportionate reduction of the total base area. Such reduction would adapt the present head to use with either, the Fig. 6 base or with standard gauge blocks of one inch cross section; or the same result, in terms of stability, could be obtained by simply magnetizing such range extending units.

The measurement planes of the Fig. 33 unit are readily attained by removing a corner from each plate, as shown in Figs. 1 1 and 15 in which Fig. 14 shows an individual plate and Fig. 15 shows a stack of plates with portions thereof broken away to reveal the underlying plates.

Each of the plates, base 13!, and a retainer or cap I33 may be apertured as shown in Figs. 14 and 15, to pass a bolt its. The bolt may be secured by a nut (not shown) countc sunk within the base (3!. As indicated in Figs. 14 and 15, the aperture through each plate, and through the base, may have a tongue i which is intend'id to cooperate with a longitudinal slot in bolt 13 i,

thereby to prevent twisting of the respective plates relative to each other; or lreyvvays in both bolt and aperture, to receive a common key, may serve the same purpose.

In the preceding description, it has frequently been suggested that tool steel or Meehanite are the desirable materials for manufacture of the various embodiments of the inventicn. It bill be apparent, however, that other materials, such as the softer metals, or plastics, may be utiiized, with the respective dimensionestablishing surfaces being capped with hard metal, or plated therewith; and further, that the total, or functional, configuration of the various embodiments may be attained by processes, such as molding or die-pressing, quite different from those herein illustrativeiy suggested.

It will be apparent from. the foregoing that the present invention affords a gauge block or combination of blocks which provide an uninterrupted arithmetical progression of dimension-establishing plane surfaces or steps which are parallel to and accurately located above a self-contained datum plane, in increments of height which are greater in number than could be obtained in any unindentecl or unstepped prism, or in any prism or structure having, without such improvements as are part of the invention, merely a uni direction progression of planerneasurement surfaces.

Whereas it is obvious that the several objects of the invention as specifically aiore noted are achieved by the various embodiments as described, it is apparent that numerous rearrange ments of the parts as described, as well as changes in construction, might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention a defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. Gauge means comprising a plurality of mutually secured substantially right triangular plates, each of said plates having a plane base, and the plurality of plates being arranged that their respective bases are co-planar to provide a common base plane; the hypotenuse of the first plate of the plurality being subdivided into a series of measurement planes disposed at equal increments of elevation above said base plane and parallel thereto; the hypotenuse or" each successive plate being subdivided into a similar series of measurement planes parallel to the base plane; the planes of each successive plate being above the corresponding plane or" the immediately preceding plate an amount which is equal to the fraction of the increment of rise of elevation of the planes of the first-named plate represented by the inverse of the total number of plates.

2. A gauge comprising a plurality of triangular plates mounted side by side upon a common stable planar base, mutually adjacent edges of the respective plates sloping at the same angle relative to the plane of said base, the said. adjacent edges of each plate being formed with a like number of planes parallel with the plane of said base and disposed at equally increasing increments of height thereabove; the respective plates being mutually offset so that the respective planes of one plate are above the corresponding planes of an adjacent plate by an amount which is equal to the fraction of the increment of height between successive planes of any plate represented by the reciprocal of the number oi plates.

3. A gauge comprising a pair of triangular plates, frame means for clamping said plates in iace-to-iace relationship with a common side of each plate in parallel relationship, a planar base for said frame means to make the structure selfsupporting in stable equilibrium, and adjustment means for positioning the said plates in vertical relationship with respect to the plane of the base; the upper edge or" each of the said plates being formed with an identical succession of planes parallel to the plane of the base and rising in equal-increment steps with relation thereto the said plates being vertically ofiset so that a plane of one plate is disposed above the adjacent plane of the other plate by an amount equal to a predetermined fraction of the height dfferential between successive plane of one of the plates.

VICTOR VIC'iClR.

CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNZiTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 386,469 Howard July 24, 1888 861,582 Fildes July 30, 1907 1,472,837 Hoke Nov. 6, 1923 1,826,783 Hess 1- Oct. 13, 1931 2,039,097 Malm Apr, 28, 1936 2,230,143 Hyland Jan. 28, 1941 2,332,360 Wakefield Oct. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PAZ'ENTS Number Country Date 22,365 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1896 71,210 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1915 OTHER REFERENCES Publ. American Machinist Magazine, May 2'7, 1943 (p. 44).

Cat. No. 17, Johansson Gage Block and Accessories, June 1, 1945, pub. by Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich. 

